Unscheduled Flight
by Coral
Summary: She lost her heart to a Maquis Warrior


Unscheduled Flight By Coral

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek, and probably Earth and anything within our Solar System too.  
Dedication: Many thanks to Loz for the speedy, efficient and useful beta... and of course, the title. g Basically inspired by the song "Starship Trooper"...

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Admiral Janeway looked up in surprise at the unexpected sound of her office doors opening. She was certain she had asked her aide for no interruptions at all, so who on earth would be dropping in unannounced right now?

She wasn't left to wonder for long.

"Hello, Kathryn," a voice greeted her. A voice that she hadn't heard in so long. The PADD in her hand fell to the desk with a clatter as she started in disbelief at the man standing in front of her. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. "Pleased to see me?" the darkly handsome man asked.

"Chakotay?" she finally managed to get out. The last time she had seen Chakotay was a year ago when, out of the blue, he'd suddenly announced that he needed to 'find himself'. She hadn't heard a word from him since, and had accepted the desk job at Starfleet Command to give herself time to think and reassess her priorities when it became clear he wasn't coming back to her anytime soon. "What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Coming to see you," he replied swiftly. He took a step towards her, and leant forward over the cluttered desk to grab her wrist. She tried to snatch it away, but he slapped his arm with his free hand and called, "Energise!"

Kathryn felt herself engulfed by the familiar feel of a transporter beam; her questioning gaze met Chakotay's laughing eyes in that brief moment before the world dissolved around her...

Ensign Raymond lent back in his chair and yawned deeply. The last hour of his watch was just beginning, and he was starting to wonder if he would manage to stay conscious until it ended. This was only his third day on what was known within the department as "Stray Shuttle Watch", and already the boredom was killing him. He had nothing to do but monitor the traffic leaving and entering Earth orbit for signs of trouble; he wasn't even involved in the actual traffic control. His job was to prevent any trouble from out-of-control, stolen or otherwise non-conforming vehicles. He wasn't sure how he was going to survive three more weeks of this until Ensign Torok returned from Vulcan, where he was attending to 'medical problems'.

Raymond watched the chronometer count off another minute, sighing heavily. This job might not be so bad out on one of the border stations, where aliens might attack any minute, and various darksiders and fringe elements might attempt to seize control of Starfleet vessels for their own nefarious purposes. But this deep in Federation space, none of that happened on a regular basis. Or even, as far as he could tell, on an irregular basis.

It didn't help that he hadn't managed to get much sleep last night. The cute Andorian ensign from Docking Control had stopped by his apartment and they'd managed to keep each other awake for far too long, although he couldn't deny that it had been very enjoyable. He smiled to himself as he remembered the way her antennae responded to his tickling and playing, and wondered if she'd come by again tonight. He hoped so... he could just think of some other interesting experiments for them to perform together.

He was so lost in his reverie that it took him several minutes to recognise that a shrill beeping was coming from the panel in front of him; and longer still to realise what the beeping indicated.

Whatever Kathryn had been expecting to rematerialise in, if she'd been able to form any expectations at all in those few brief moments, it hadn't been a standard Starfleet shuttlecraft. Especially not one that appeared to still be in space dock and orbiting the Earth. From Chakotay's mode of dress, which reminded her very much of the clothes he had been wearing when she had first seen him over eight years ago, she guessed that he probably didn't have permission to be there. And while Admirals could get away with a good many things, stealing a shuttlecraft with a former outlaw might be a little difficult to explain away.

"What's going on, Chakotay?" she demanded with a glare.

"Calm down, Kathryn," he said, releasing her arm and sliding into the pilot's seat.

"Calm down? You expect me to calm down when you're taking the helm?" she asked incredulously.

"The course is programmed into the computer," he informed her tersely. He hit a button, then turned back to face her. "I thought that maybe we should have some time alone."

A smile tugged at the corner of Kathryn's lips, despite the part of her that felt that she ought to be annoyed by his high-handed manner. "It is possible to speak to me alone without it being necessary to kidnap me and steal away in a shuttle, you know," she said lightly.

"You wouldn't think it to speak to your aide," Chakotay returned with a grin. "Besides, Kathryn, I know you and I know Starfleet. If we were on Earth somewhere -- anywhere -- Starfleet Command would haul you off to deal with some niggling thing. This way, they can't get hold of us."

Kathryn gave up even trying to be annoyed, and slipped into the co-pilot's seat. She stretched a little, savouring the strain on her tired muscles. "So, now that we're here-"

She was cut off by the commlink breaking in. "Shuttlecraft Kirk, this is Starfleet Command. Return to space dock immediately. Shuttlecraft Kirk, this is Starfleet Command. Return to space dock immediately." Chakotay rolled his eyes and flipped a switch. The voice fell silent, and the shuttlecraft continued to glide silently out of space dock. As Chakotay entered a few minor course corrections, Kathryn took the chance to take a good look round. Earth orbit was hardly outer space, but she was stunned as she realised that she hadn't been out in space, even this far, in months. The thought saddened her, as if she had suddenly discovered that part of herself was missing.

Chakotay suddenly shifted the shuttle into full impulse, and the stars rushed past the window. Kathryn relaxed and smiled at the familiar sight. For a moment, she could almost believe that she and Chakotay were heading back to Voyager after an away mission together...

"Peaceful, isn't it?" Chakotay asked.

"What is all this about, Chakotay?" Kathryn asked, not ready to admit quite yet just how good it did feel.

"You. Me. Life. The Universe. Everything."

Kathryn shot him a strange look. "Care to elaborate at all?"

"I could tell you the long version of how I spent this past year travelling from place to place and trying to find myself in each of them, and how I ultimately realised I was going about it all wrong, but I have a feeling that if I do that, Starfleet will catch up to us and take us into custody."

"So, is there a short version?"

He leant over and took her hand, his gaze earnest. "I couldn't find myself because I'd left myself with you, Kathryn. You complete me in a way that no one and nothing else does, or can. I love you, Kathryn."

"I love you too..." Kathryn began, but Chakotay silenced her with a kiss. She returned it hungrily, wondering how she'd survived this past year without him. Now that the feelings hanging between them had finally found voice, there seemed to be a deeper understanding and a quiet sense of purpose.

Raymond buried his head in his hands and wondered what to do next. The occupant - or was it occupants? - of Shuttlecraft Kirk had ignored his attempt at communicating with them, and now they had jumped to warp. He started to wish he'd got some sleep last night; instead he took a long drink of coffee and tried to remember the correct procedure for this occurrence.

Call the chaser ships, that was it. He opened a commlink to Lieutenant Brightman, informed him of the situation, then tried hailing the Kirk again...

"I can't believe you didn't choose a shuttlecraft with reclining chairs," Kathryn grumbled as Chakotay helped her out of her uniform jacket. The commlink was beeping again, but they both ignored it, preferring to concentrate on more pleasant matters.

"Isn't the floor good enough for you?" Chakotay asked with a grin.

"I'm not getting any younger, in case you hadn't noticed," she retorted. "And Starfleet carpets scratch so┘."

"Had lots of experience, have you?" He tossed her jacket towards the back of the shuttlecraft, where it hit the wall and then crumpled to the floor beside his own jacket.

"Some," she said, helping him out of his trousers and adding them to the growing pile at the back of the shuttlecraft. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl for the first time since... well, since when she had been a giddy schoolgirl, and she decided she rather liked it.

"There is an alternative to the floor, you know," Chakotay said. Without giving Kathryn a chance to question or protest, he pulled her over on the console and continued kissing and caressing her, eliciting a few approving moans as he did so. Neither noticed the quiet click of buttons underneath Kathryn's body as she started to return the favour...

Raymond sighed with relief as his panel lit up, indicating that the occupants of the Kirk had finally decided to hail him. He sat up straight in front of the monitor and assumed a stern expression, then accepted the hail.

"This is Ensign Raymond on behalf of Starfleet Command," he said. "Please return the Shuttlecraft Kirk to Earth Station McKinley immediately."

He waited for an answer, but all he heard was the sound of heavy breathing. At first he wondered if it was some psychological ploy to intimidate him, but then he heard the sound of a woman moaning too, and he suddenly felt very hot under the collar.

Of course, at that moment, the door to the office slid open to admit Admiral Jenkins and Commander Calahwecci.

"Oh, Chakotay..."

Raymond smacked his hand down on the console and closed the channel, turning to face the entering officers and standing to attention. He hoped he wasn't blushing too badly, and that they hadn't heard anything. They seemed solemn enough, although there was an odd twitching at the corner of Jenkins' mouth.

"At ease, Ensign," Jenkins said. "We heard that a shuttlecraft was off course."

"That's correct, sir," Raymond reported. "The Kirk. I haven't been able to establish contact yet. The chasing ships are being launched right now."

"Tell them to go carefully, Ensign. Admiral Janeway has apparently been kidnapped and we have reason to believe she may be on that shuttle with a former outlaw."

Raymond knew that he was going redder now. He'd worked under Janeway a few months ago, and he really didn't need the mental images his mind was now conjuring up. "Is he┘ dangerous, sir?" he asked, forcing the words out of his dry throat.

"What makes you think it's a he?" Jenkins asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, um, just assuming, Sir."

"Chakotay?"

"Mm-hm?" Chakotay mumbled, not wanting to stop what he was doing.

"I think that's the proximity alarm. Oh, that feels good..."

"I think the computer can handle the alarm." He stopped and grinned at her. "You, on the other hand, might want to hold on tighter, though."

"Aye aye, sir," she answered, tightening her grip without paying much attention to what she was doing...

Raymond blinked and rubbed his eyes as he tried to follow the erratic course that the Kirk was now following. It didn't seem to correspond to any evasive manoeuvres he had ever seen or studied, and didn't even seem particularly well thought out. One minute the craft would dip down for no reason, and then it would straighten itself out again. All would seem fine for a while as it outpaced the following craft, but all of a sudden, it would dodge off to the left or right - often losing valuable space before it could regain its original flight path. It didn't make the least bit of sense to him at all.

"Chaser Ship Harris to Raymond. What on earth is going on in that ship? Is there something we don't know?"

Raymond swallowed a few times before replying, "Not that I'm aware of."

"It's almost like someone's just banging against the console at random," the pilot of the Harris mused aloud.

Raymond closed his eyes, groaned, and let his head fall onto the desk as he pleaded with his mind not to do this to him.

"Raymond? Raymond? You still there?"

Raymond heard the door open again, and wished he wasn't.

The shuttlecraft jerked suddenly to the left, sending Kathryn and Chakotay tumbling to the floor together, not noticing that they had knocked the comm system on again. They lay still, too exhausted to even stand to turn it off again. Kathryn managed to roll onto her side, regarding Chakotay's sweaty visage with a grin.

"Let's leave the flying to the computer now, shall we?" Kathryn whispered. "I think I can handle the floor for a while, just to finish this off."

Chakotay opened his mouth to agree, but he was interrupted by a voice issuing forth from the comm system.

"This is Admiral Jenkins to Shuttlecraft Kirk. Please identify yourselves."

Kathryn clapped a hand over her mouth and turned bright red as she tried to stifle a most undignified fit of the giggles. Chakotay just closed his eyes and offered a quick prayer up to the Sky Spirits.

"Kirk, please respond. We have reason to believe you are holding Admiral Janeway against her will. Give yourself over or I will order my ships to fire."

Chakotay looked at Kathryn. "If I give in, you won't be in any trouble if you just tell them I forced you to come here..." he whispered.

"I'm staying with you, Chakotay," she murmured, then started kissing him again. Her heart was beating so loudly, so fast, that she wouldn't have been surprised if the Admiral had been able to hear it on the other end of the commlink.

Chakotay's actions spoke a lot louder than words.

Raymond couldn't meet the Admiral's eyes as Jenkins closed the commlink with a quirky grin.

"Well, Ensign..." He paused and shook his head in amusement at Raymond's red face. "In Starfleet, Ensign, weird is part of the job. Never forget that. Now, you'd better recall those chaser ships and let all the ships in the sector know we have an unscheduled flight in progress." Jenkins turned on his heel and left.

With a sigh of resignation, Raymond turned to the comm and activated it.

"This is Starfleet Control to all ships in sector 001... please advise that Shuttlecraft Kirk is off course... all ships squawk ident..."

END 


End file.
